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Meet Borealopelta markmitchelli

The Ankylosauria is a group of herbivorous, quadrupedal, armoured dinosaurs subdivided in two major clades, the Ankylosauridae and the Nodosauridae. The most derived members of this clade are characterized by shortened skulls, pyramidal squamosal horns, and tail clubs, among other features. Nodosauridae have a kinked ischium and more massive osteoderms, but lack a tail club. Ankylosaurs were present primarily in Asia and North America, but the early origins of this clade are ambiguous. A three-dimensionally preserved ankylosaurian discovered in the Suncor Millennium Mine in northeastern Alberta, Canada, offers new evidence for understanding the anatomy of this group.

The new specimen, Borealopelta markmitchelli, from the Early Cretaceous of Alberta, preserves integumentary structures as organic layers, including continuous fields of epidermal scales and intact horn sheaths capping the body armor. The generic name Borealopelta is derived from “borealis” (Latin, “northern”) and “pelta” (Greek, “shield”). The specific epithet markmitchelli honors Mark Mitchell for his preparation of the holotype.

The holotype (TMP 2011.033.0001), with an estimated living mass of 1,300 kg, is an articulated specimen preserving the head, neck, most of the trunk and sacrum, a complete right and a partial left forelimb and manus, and partial pes. The skull is covered in dermal plates, which are overlain by their associated epidermal scales. Cervical and thoracic osteoderms form continuous transverse rows completely separated by transverse rows of polygonal basement scale. Osteoderms are covered by a thick, dark gray to black organic layer, representing the original, diagenetically altered, keratinous epidermal scales. The distribution of the film correlates well to the expected distribution of melanin, a pigment present in some vertebrate integumentary structures. The keratinized tissues in this nodosaur are heavily pigmented. The possible presence of eumelanin and pheomelanin, suggested it had reddish-brown camouflage. The evidence of countershading in a large, heavily armored herbivorous dinosaur also provides a unique insight into the predator-prey dynamic of the Cretaceous Period.